Utah Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) won his Republican primary race on Tuesday to succeed retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Curtis received 149,152 votes, or 51.7 percent of the vote in the race, while Riverton Mayor Staggs received 82,393 votes, or 28.6 percent of the vote, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Another candidate, Brad Wilson, received 39,100 votes, or 13.6 percent of the vote, while Jason Walton received 17,654 votes, or 6.1 percent.
The race was called at 10:23 p.m.
While former President Donald Trump had endorsed Staggs in the election, climate change donors supported Curtis with millions in donations.
Curtis raised more money compared to his opponents, according to records from the Federal Election Commission, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The outlet noted that FEC records showed Curtis raised just under $970,000 between April 8 and June 5, while Staggs had only raised roughly $260,000 during the same time.
As Breitbart News has previously reported, Curtis is the “proud sponsor” of a controversial bill, the Fairness for All Act, that would seek to “destroy female athletics.” Curtis has previously stated that he does not support men playing in women’s sports.
The Fairness for All Act of 2019 has been criticized by the Heritage Action for America, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and the American College of Pediatricians, who said it would:
1) infringe upon medical professionals’ conscience rights if they decline to administer puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex reassignment surgeries, including on minors; 2) subject foster children to medically unproven treatments imposed by transgender ideology; 3) reduce privacy and safety for females and destroy female athletics; 4) violate freedom of speech, conscience, and religion for countless businesses, charities, and citizens.
Curtis was a cosponsor of the Fairness for All Act in 2019 and 2021.
Staggs has previously told Breitbart News Saturday that Curtis, a former Utah Democratic Party chairman, is “funded by mega-millionaire climate change activists.”
Curtis was described by Staggs as being a “RINO” who switched his party affiliation to “run for Jason Chaffetz’s seat.”
“He wasn’t just a Democrat formerly, he actually chaired the Utah Democratic Party and he only changed part affiliation so that he could run for Jason Chaffetz’s seat when he resigned from Congress in 2017,” Staggs said.
Curtis will move on to the November general election against Caroline Gleich, a skier, mountaineer, and environmentalist.
Issues that Gleich is focusing on are environmental protection and climate action, moving to clean energy, “improving and expanding access to the outdoors,” abortion access, and the economy and jobs, according to her campaign website.
The last time the state elected a Democrat senator was in 1970.
